Under-17 football team, Serengeti Boys have intensified training at the Agakhan grounds in Arusha, to keep shape for the 2019 Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals.

Tanzania is hosting this youth's tournament for the first time this April and Serengeti Boys will compete by virtue of being the hosts. The team shifted up gear, mounting tight drills in camp preparing for the finals.

The Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) Media and Communication Officer, Clifford Ndimbo said in a statement yesterday that the team was in great shape.

And, to sharpen up for the finals, Serengeti Boys will compete in a special tournament dubbed UEFA Assist slated on March 1st to 9th in Turkey.

Hosts Serengeti Boys have been zoned in group A alongside Nigeria christened The Golden Eaglets, Angola and debutants Uganda in the preliminary round of the finals. Teams in group B are Guinea, Cameroon, Morocco and Senegal.

The top four teams of the tournament will qualify for the 2019 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Peru as the CAF representatives.

Last week, Tanzania unveiled the 2019 Under-17 Africa's Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) official mascot, at a short ceremony in Dar es Salaam.

Minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports Harrison Mwakyembe has unveiled the official mascot, signifying that Tanzania is 100 per cent ready to host the 13th edition of the tournament this April.

Blended with the country's tourism natural attractions such as Mount Kilimanjaro and nature, the mascot also carries with it an anti-poaching campaign, in which, Rhino's horn and elephant's tusks are on display.

Minister Mwakyembe was told by the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) official, Aaron Nyanda that the mascot also contains the Confederation of African Football (CAF) symbols.

Aside the launch of the tournament mascot, Tanzania is also in the process of launching the official song of the biennial tournament.

Minister Mwakyembe, who is also the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), picked to oversee the smooth organisation of the tournament, said they have been working tirelessly, to address the recommendations by CAF on improving the venues that will host the event.

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